I Lay Down On The Cold Ground
by watchitstark
Summary: Hermione and Narcissa were never meant to be, and yet how can they ignore how they feel? Written for the 'Snow Patrol Challenge' by 'Bad Mum'. HG/NM femmeslash. T because it's not a happy story.


**I Lay Down On The Cold Ground**

_Written for the '__Snow Patrol Challenge' __by '__Bad Mum'__. Prompt is the song '__Set The Fire To The Third Bar'._

_**A/N: I love, love, love this song so much! xD This is what the lyrics have inspired me to write, but I'm not going to make it a songfic really. :D But, if you listen to the lyrics, then I think you will understand where I'm coming from. I think it might be the sappiest and saddest thing that I have ever written, I almost made myself cry. I think that this might be my first piece of pure angst, and it's longer than I expected it to be.**_

"What?" Hermione shook herself out of the daze and tried not to think about it, it wasn't worth the heartbreak. Ginny shot her a sympathetic look and then went back to rambling on about the Ministry function that was coming up; she knew that Hermione wasn't listening, but that she wanted the comfort of having someone there, and droning on at her was the only thing that Ginny could think to do. The bushy haired witch was having some trouble, and Ginny knew all about it, but was smart enough not to say anything; she knew that the older woman didn't want to talk right now. Hermione was in love, but it was impossible, improbable and never going to happen, it was Narcissa Black. They had slowly fallen in love over chance meetings from the Quidditch World Cup onwards, and even now, a year after the war, they were still hiding from the world, a world where they had to ignore the fact that they loved each other, and stay away, miles away, from the other. Hermione could never understand it, nor why it should matter, but she was determined to stay away, no one could know, not even Harry, just Ginny and Minerva; she had become a lot closer to them in the last year. Ginny sighed, knowing that Hermione still wasn't listening, and she didn't want to carry talking to herself.

"Hermione?" The bushy haired witch started, and then turned to the red head.

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to the Function?"

"Probably not, I don't think that I'm ever going to be able to conjure a smile again, and you know that Ronald will try something, especially if they let him near the champagne." In a few weeks it was the first Annual Anniversary of the end of the war celebration, but Hermione didn't want to go to a Function where she would have to remember long nights spent in a tent, or Narcissa's fleeting visits to see her when Harry wasn't looking, the war was not something to celebrate, even if they did win, they should just be leaving it behind, not digging it back up every year. But, the Ministry was not of that opinion, and of course the first three people that they asked was the Golden Trio. Hermione stood up and went to leave and go home when Ginny said;

"There's nothing you can do, you two are miles away from each other, in society and in distance." Hermione almost started to cry, because Narcissa knew that she couldn't stand having her heartbroken every time she saw the young witch she had moved away to Australia, where no one knew her name, or would notice a lone witch arrive. Hermione didn't even know her address, or what part of Australia she was in even. She just turned away from Ginny and Apparated straight out of the Burrows kitchen and to her flat in the centre of London.

**HGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNM**

The bushy haired witch stared up into the sky, head craned upwards until she started to get neck ache and then she laid on the ground, a steep, grassy hill, and purposefully lay upside-down, so that she felt like she was slipping, but she knew that she wasn't. It was a hill in Dean Forest, the place that she always met Narcissa at, and every time she couldn't help but hope that Narcissa would be there, waiting for her, so that she could lay her head on her shoulder and that everything would feel right and just again.

**HGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNM**

Narcissa sighed as she thought of curly brown hair, chocolate coloured eyes and porcelain white skin. Hermione was all she could think of, and tonight she needed to sleep for once, so she went to the one place that she promised herself that she would never go, especially as she had a feeling that it was _her_ special place, and that she would be there tonight. But that insatiable urge, that imaginary pull, had her in its grip and before she could stop herself or second guess her decision she grabbed her wand and Apparated to the place where the stars were always the brightest.

**HGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNMHGNM**

Hermione heard the 'pop' and gasped, it couldn't be could it? She sat up, although she had to brace her hands behind her and almost bend in double to do it, shock was driving her, and she was on her feet before she knew it, staring into somewhat unsurprised cerulean eyes. Before she could think about her actions she had already thrown herself at Narcissa, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her hard on the lips. Both women moaned into the kiss, and Narcissa wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist, cradling the shorter woman to her. When sense returned, and they needed to breathe again, Narcissa ended the kiss and loosened her arms, tears already dripping down her cheeks, and she noticed that wet trails glistened on Hermione's too. The blonde woman slowly brought a hand up and wiped the tears away, and the two of them remained in a timeless moment, wishing that it could never end, but both knowing that it had to. Hermione sighed and broke the moment, moving away and wrapping her arms around herself.

"We can't do this again." She whispered, breaking her own heart even further, so that she was only hanging on by a tiny thread.

"I know." Hermione felt Narcissa step closer and a hand rest lightly on her back. "We can never exist in this world together, we are not meant to be."

"But we are." Hermione whispered. "And you know that in your heart. But we are in the wrong place, in the wrong time, and not meant to be in this lifetime."

"Everything that is right and meant to be you have to work for." Narcissa said softly, wishing that it was true, wishing that this could be seen as right.

"No, everything that you love has to be ripped away." Hermione said bitterly.

"You have to fight for it."

"We have to find a way to love each other even when we're in a world where we can't." Narcissa felt the tears continue in earnest and she sat on the cold, hard ground and wrapped her arms around herself, head down.

"Everything has been shattered, everything that I believe in, and everything that I love." She murmured. Hermione sat on the ground next to her and laid her head on her shoulder.

"I know." She replied quietly.

They stayed that way until dawn, when Narcissa finally broke their trancelike state by shifting slightly, and that was when the tears started again, as they finally had to think, and let the world in.

"Whenever you're alone, whenever you feel like you need me, just Apparate here, and then you'll feel my warm arms wrap around you, and hold you in place." Narcissa whispered and Apparated away. That was the last time that the two of them ever saw each other, Hermione never came back, the feel of her heart mending and then shattering again as it had that night she knew would break her.


End file.
